Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has a lot to ponder as his side return to Premier League duty this weekend against Everton.
A win for the club would go a long way to alleviating the pressure which has piled on the Dutchman as of late and with the Toffees still reeling from their ten point deduction, there might not be a better time to play them.
While the Old Trafford side have won just nine of their opening 18 matches so far this term, it isn’t just their performances on the pitch which will be worrying the former Ajax manager.
With the January transfer window looming on the horizon, he will be keen on bolstering his squad ahead of the second half of the season.
His summer business hasn’t exactly been a success, however, and this could turn the winter window into a pressurised situation for the Red Devils, especially as several players have been linked with moves away.
Casemiro is among the standout figures who have been mooted for a departure, according to recent reports.
Casemiro faces uncertain Man Utd future
The midfielder hasn’t even been at the club for 18 months, yet it looks as though his future lies away from Manchester.
A few weeks ago, 90min reported that there were a few clubs from Saudi Arabia showing interest in the Brazilian ahead of the January transfer window.
The former Real Madrid star cost a staggering £70m last summer and still has over three years left on his current contract.
This suggests that Ten Hag should be able to recoup a decent transfer fee for the 31-year-old, but it was their mistake to spend that sort of money on a player who is clearly approaching the end of his career.
The Brazilian has missed seven matches this term having suffered an injury on international duty in October and it remains to be seen when he will be back in the first-team fold.
With the vast riches on offer in the Middle East, the 53-year-old could certainly flog the midfielder for a fee which would allow him to bring in a replacement during the same window.
Who does he have in mind, however, as there have been a few names linked with a move to Old Trafford recently.
Man Utd transfer news
Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Utd’s prospective new investor – looks set to bring a few players to the club in the coming months, giving Ten Hag’s side a major boost.
According to RMC Sport (via TEAMtalk), Ratcliffe is aiming to bring two AS Monaco players to the Premier League in the next few weeks.
Defender Vanderson is one of the names mentioned in the report. However, it is the interest in midfielder Youssouf Fofana which could be of much importance to the manager, especially if he loses Casemiro to the Middle East.
The Frenchman would only cost in the region of €30m (£26m) and there is no doubt he would make for an excellent replacement for the Brazilian at the heart of United’s midfield.
With Ratcliffe set to invest around £1.4b into the club, Ten Hag may feel like he can add a few players during the winter window, and Fofana must be one of them.
Youssouf Fofana’s career statistics
Born in Paris, Fofana spent his younger years playing for amateur side JA Drancy after he was dropped from the France national academy at Clairefontaine.
The youngster even spent time working in a pizzeria in order to keep himself going during his amateur days between 2014-2017.
Some dreams never die and Fofana eventually worked his way up through the Strasbourg youth sides and made his debut against Lyon during the 2018/19 campaign – and he hasn’t looked back since.
He secured a move to Monaco in 2019 and has since made over 150 appearances for the club, emerging as one of their brightest stars.
44.5
50.7
1
2
0.9
1.3
0.6
1.3
5.3
3.9
The 2022/23 season proved to be one of his most productive to date, as Fofana registered four goal contributions across 38 Ligue 1 matches while he ranked second in the squad for accurate passes per game (39.3), along with ranking third for key passes per game (0.9) and second for successful dribbles per game (1.3), excelling over a range of metrics.
His vision in the middle of the pitch is exemplary, evidenced by the fact he ranks in the top 8% for progressive passes per 90 (7.89) when compared to his positional peers across Europe, suggesting he loves to move the ball into the final third as often as possible.
Fofana also ranks in the top 7% for interceptions per 90 (1.75) and these attributes would enable him to become an ideal heir for Casemiro.
The 24-year-old has also shone on the international stage for France. He featured in six matches for his country as they reached a second successive World Cup final, although they couldn’t claim back-to-back victories as they were defeated by Argentina.
More recently, the in-demand ace was in wonderful form during the European Championship double-header against Gibraltar and Greece, making seven key passes in both matches and finding the back fo the net in both outings.
These performances for club and country over the previous 12 months have clearly garnered plenty of attention for the Frenchman’s signature and, for a fee of just £26m, it looks like it could prove to be a stunning bargain.
Not only is he available for a good price, but Fofana has yet to hit his peak years and Ten Hag could develop him into a potential world-class midfielder in Manchester.
With Casemiro’s future up in the air, the Dutchman will need a replacement sooner rather than later, especially with many of his squad either underperforming or injured.
Fofana has served his apprenticeship in Ligue 1 and now is the time to try a new challenge at Old Trafford, and he has the ability to thrive in the Premier League.
The next few weeks promise to be an intriguing one from a United standpoint. Will they negotiate the busy festive period while also making inroads into their current transfer targets?
Only time will tell.